American Pharoah 1-5 favorite

Triple Crown winner gets not so favorable No. 2 post position for Travers

By Tim Wilkin

Updated 7:56 am, Wednesday, August 26, 2015

Photo: Skip Dickstein

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Members of the Racing Office pull the pills at the Post Position Draw which place the horse with placement in the starting gate Tuesday evening Aug. 25, 2015 in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. (Skip Dickstein/Times Union) less

Members of the Racing Office pull the pills at the Post Position Draw which place the horse with placement in the starting gate Tuesday evening Aug. 25, 2015 in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. (Skip Dickstein/Times ... more

Photo: Skip Dickstein

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The Man O' War trophy that will be presented to the winner of the Travers Stakes is on display at the Post Position Draw Tuesday evening Aug. 25, 2015 in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. (Skip Dickstein/Times Union)

The Man O' War trophy that will be presented to the winner of the Travers Stakes is on display at the Post Position Draw Tuesday evening Aug. 25, 2015 in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. (Skip Dickstein/Times Union)

Photo: Skip Dickstein

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A large crowd was in attendance for post position draw for theTravers Stakes Tuesday evening Aug. 25, 2015 in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. (Skip Dickstein/Times Union)

A large crowd was in attendance for post position draw for theTravers Stakes Tuesday evening Aug. 25, 2015 in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. (Skip Dickstein/Times Union)

Photo: Skip Dickstein

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The post positions have been draw for Travers Stakes are displayed at the Post Position Draw Tuesday evening Aug. 25, 2015 in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. (Skip Dickstein/Times Union)

The post positions have been draw for Travers Stakes are displayed at the Post Position Draw Tuesday evening Aug. 25, 2015 in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. (Skip Dickstein/Times Union)

Photo: Skip Dickstein

American Pharoah 1-5 favorite

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Saratoga Springs

Bob Baffert wasn't anywhere near Druthers Brewing Company, which is located in the middle of Broadway in the Spa City. Everyone who was invited to the outdoor courtyard of Druthers was there for one reason: to find out who was running in the 146th running of the Travers Stakes on Saturday at Saratoga Race Course.

In particular, they wanted to find out about a certain horse running in the Midsummer Derby.

That would be American Pharoah, the newest celebrity in the Capital Region. The 3-year-old colt, the first Triple Crown winner in 37 long years, will be the headliner when they run the Travers. The crowd at Druthers — trainers, jockeys, media members, New York Racing Association personnel and some invited guests from the city — were not held in suspense very long.

American Pharoah was made the 1-5 morning-line favorite by NYRA oddsmaker Eric Donovan. That is hardly surprising since American Pharoah has won all six of his starts this year, including the three biggest races of the year so far: the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes.

Baffert was 3,000 miles away, at home in California when the draw was held.

More Information

Travers draw

Here is the field, in post position order, with trainer, jockey and odds:

1. Upstart

Rick Violette

Irad Ortiz Jr.

5-1

2. American Pharoah

Bob Baffert

Victor Espinoza

1-5

3. Mid Ocean

George Weaver

Manny Franco

50-1

4. Texas Red

Keith Desormeaux

Kent Desormeaux

8-1

5. Frammento

Nick Zito

Jose Ortiz

30-1

6. Frosted

Kiaran McLaughlin

Joel Rosario

6-1

7. Keen Ice

Dale Romans

Javier Castellano

12-1

8. Tale of Verve

Dallas Stewart

Gary Stevens

30-1

9. King of New York

Kenny McPeek

Julien Leparoux

50-1

10. Smart Transition

John Shirreffs

John Velazquez

20-1

Of course he expected that his horse would be the Travers favorite when the field of 10 was announced for the first time.

The only thing that might have made him think twice was the fact that American Pharoah drew the not so favorable No. 2 post position. Inside posts can sometimes put horses in trouble. If they break poorly from there, they can be shuffled back in the field. Baffert didn't seem too overly concerned when reached at home.

"It's like this," Baffert said by cellphone. "This horse has been all over the place. He has started from the one (post, at the Preakness), he has started from the 18 (in the Kentucky Derby). He can handle it. The post should not be a problem. Anyway, the draw is over. There is nothing we can do about it."

Other trainers in the race didn't seem too concerned about where American Pharoah was starting from either.

"I don't think there is any bad post," said trainer Kiaran McLaughlin, who has Frosted in the Travers field. "The only negatives are probably the one and two (posts) because of being down inside of people. It's not a negative at 11/4 miles (Travers distance)."

Baffert is scheduled to fly to the Capital Region on Thursday.

American Pharoah is scheduled to arrive at Albany International Airport at 2 p.m. Wednesday and then van up to Saratoga.

Baffert gave the itinerary for his horse on Tuesday. He said American Pharoah, his assistant Jimmy Barnes and Smokey, the stable pony, were set to leave the barn at Del Mar Race Track near San Diego at 2:30 a.m. (PST). From there, it was a 100-mile van ride northeast to Ontario International Airport. The first flight would take the travel party to Kentucky. That's where they were supposed to pick up 2003 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Funny Cide, who is making an appearance at the Spa on Thursday.

Then, it was on to Albany International and then a police escort up the Northway to the Spa.

"Right now, all we are doing is focusing on him," Baffert said of American Pharoah. "Right now, we just want to get him there."

American Pharoah will start next to Upstart, who was third to Pharoah in the Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park in New Jersey in his last start. Trainer Rick Violette said Tuesday that Upstart was "50-50" to run in the Travers. He said he will wait until Saturday before making a final decision.

On Sunday, Violette said the odds were "90-10" against that his horse would go in the Travers. If American Pharoah was in the starting gate, Violette said he was thinking more about running in the $1 million Pennsylvania Derby at Parx Racing in Bensalem, Pa. on Sept. 19.

The Travers purse is $1.25 million, but jumps up to $1.6 million if a Triple Crown winner is in the starting gate.

Frosted is the second choice on the morning line at 6-1; Texas Red, who won the Jim Dandy, is 8-1 and Keen Ice, the second-place finisher in the Haskell, is 12-1.

"I'm a big American Pharoah fan," Keen Ice's trainer, Dale Romans, said. "I know if he shows up here, he is doing good. Bob (Baffert) would not bring him if he was not doing good. If we are all on the up and up, (American Pharoah) wins."